Mwah-ha-ha-ha: Seriously evil characters

“In fairy tales, evil is always just evil,” says Robert Heath, professor emeritus of communications at the University of Houston. “In life, it is a politically useful persona.”

We tend to trivialize the ability of an enemy by assuming they’re not skilled at what they do, Heath says, yet Hitler worked with intelligent people who helped him hone his image.

Charles Manson groomed his image and gained a cult following by surrounding himself with young girls who didn’t look capable of committing the crimes they committed, Heath continues.

Osama bin Laden worked hard on his persona, as well. In the early hours of the War on Terror, bin Laden’s people cut off the heads and hands of prisoners to prove their ferociousness to enemies.

Even Blackbeard, the legendary pirate, put small bits of gunpowder in his beard and lit them as he moved in to attack unsuspecting ships. “The image of this fiery monster was carefully developed,” Heath notes.

The fictitious characters I have assembled below are evil. But because they’re fabrications from writers and filmmakers, we can watch them without fear (well, maybe there’s a little fear).

Conveniently, the ugliness of their personalities manifests itself in their appearances. Just one look — at a hook, a sneer, or the smoke from a cartoon cigarette — and you can tell which side they’re on.

Who are your favorite evil characters?

Wicked Witch of the West: “I’ll get you my pretty!” In Kansas, her name is Elmira Gulch — the gulch is the deep, empty ravine where is soul is supposed to be. (MGM)

Chucky: Sewn-up scars on the outside are a dead giveaway for the evil coursing through his insides. (Universal Studios)

Cruella De Vil: She has shocking two-tone hair and she wants to turn Dalmatian pups into coats. And she smokes. (Disney)

Hannibal Lecter: Evil at its most insightful, this character ruined fava beans with a nice Chianti for everyone. (Orion Pictures)

Voldemort: Perhaps the chief resident of evil in the Harry Potter books is upset about his horrible nose. He resembles Hannibal in his mask, don’t you think? (Warner Brothers)

The White Witch: Also known as Jadis, this witch (played with bracing chilliness by actress Tilda Swinton) froze Narnia in the Hundred Years Winter in C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia series. (Walden Media)

Evil Queen from Snow White: The vainest woman in the land of German fairy tales gave stepmothers a reputation they cannot shake. (Disney)

Shere Khan: This tiger believes he’s the rightful ruler of the Indian jungle in Rudyard Kipling’s book — and Disney’s movie. In the book, Mowgli skins the tiger. Disney keeps the cat alive. (Disney)

Captain Hook: Dustin Hoffman used William F. Buckley as a model for his Captain Hook. (Amblin Entertainment Lucasfilm)

Sauron: A disembodied sorcerer in Middle-Earth — where The Lord of the Rings takes place — Sauron became a shadow of his former self when The One Ring was cut from his hand. He appears as a great lidless eye in part of the film trilogy. (New Line Cinema)